The “Autoclave Test” (sometimes called “steam bomb test”) is performed to evaluate the moisture resistance of packaged solid state devices. It is a highly accelerated test using moisture-condensing or moisture-saturated environments. It utilizes conditions of pressure, temperature, and humidity to accelerate moisture penetration into the active circuits inside the package. This moisture generally penetrates in two areas: 1) directly through the encapsulant material, or 2) at the sealing junction where the conductors pass into the device.
This test should be performed whenever a new package is being introduced OR whenever a package has undergone a redesign that has required material changes, such as a change in molding compound, die attach adhesive, or perhaps die passivation. It should also be done when there have been mechanical changes such as a change in die size or a change in leadframe dimensions.
Autoclave testing is not to be regarded as being the same as “HAST” (highly accelerated stress test). For information about HAST, please refer to Reliability Newsletter Issue No. 9 on our web-site. Or call us at 610.939.9500.

Silicon Cert Ltd, as a leading reliability testing provider with many years of experience, can economically perform autoclave testing plus a wide variety of other reliability tests, including: